The Special Prosecutor has been petitioned to investigate the former Chief Executive of the Bulk Oil Storage and Transportation company (BOST) for authorising "illegal" payments of ¢40.5m into an account of the office of the Chief of Staff.
The Center for National Affairs (CNA) has provided what it believes is evidence that the account was illegal and the payments by the former BOST CEO, Kingsley Kwame Awuah-Darko, did not have statutory approval.
According to letters allegedly signed by Mr. Awuah-Darko, the payments were "monies accrued from the security fees taken from Bulk oil Distribution Companies (BDCs) invoices to effect payments on the cost of petroleum products supplied by Goil"
The monthly payments were made between August 2015 to January 2017 while Julius Debrah was Chief of Staff under the Mahama administration.
Julius Debrah was appointed in February 2015 but the CNA claims that according to documents available to it, the payments began from August 28, 2015 with the transfer of ¢3.5 million.
The next payment was ¢3 million in October 2015 and another ¢3 million on November 12, 2015. On December 23, 2015 ¢2 million was transferred.
Payments resumed in 2016 on February 05, March 15, April 15 and May 13 with the release of ¢2.5 million for each of the four months. On June 09, July 15 and August 24 that year BOST in every month transferred ¢3 million into the account.
Months to the 2016 elections in December, BOST paid ¢3.5 million on September 29 and November 17. The last payment of ¢3m was made January 3, 2017 - four days to the inauguration of a new government.
But the Executive Director of the civil society organisation Samuel Lartey described the payments and accounts as mysterious. He said CNA also has reasons to believe, other state agencies also paid illegal monies to the office of the Chief of Staff.
The petition to Martin Amidu was sent with several letters covering the transactions while Julius Debrah was in office.
The petition to Martin Amidu said it was triggering Act 959 which empowers the Special Prosecutor to investigate suspected corruption and corruption-related offences.
The petition becomes the second from CNA after it asked the Special Prosecutor to investigate the former Chairperson of the Electoral Commission Charlotte Osei who was removed over stated misbehaviour involving procurement breaches.
Source: myjoyonline.com
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It's sad to see how partisan we have become! Before we analyze the substance of the story, people are already shooting partisan arrows. I struggle to understand how spending 18, even 19 out of a 48 month term constitutes "close to the end" of this government's first term. For goodness sake, they're 4 months to mid-term! Again it is difficult to see how any government that is in to govern, rather witch-hunt, can jail all corrupt officials of a previous regime just under 2 years. And why is paying monies into an account that is deemed irregular even by the president of the republic (don't talk of another state institution) not news",
Crazy, did the government have to wait until the end of the first term to uncover issues like this?. This is why people say it is a witch hunt and do not trust the government. You come to office with a mandate and you wait to brand opposition corrupt with these bias story close to the end of your first term. Why don't you arrest the person who transferred the money to the chief of staff office to answer questions regarding why that course of action was taken instead of bringing in politics into the fore for a brouhaha to occur back and forth!
Good one there.This is what we want.Akufo ado on fire 🔥.Martin on fire 🔥. NDC will be in opposition for 40years.👍
This is more profitable than anything. The account created was mysterious and they should come out to explain where those monies went. Akronfuo, cartels who operated Ghana like a casino !people were dying in the hospitals, dumsor was destroying businesses, teachers and nurses trainee allowances were cancelled but ndc had the audacity to create an account at the presidency to siphon Ghana's money for their own use. Onyame betua moka! ndc will rot in opposition!
BOST paid mo0ney to another government account - NOT someone's personal account and this is news? Let's think of something profitable!!